Approach

Taxpayers for Common Sense: Scrupulously accurate, aggressively nonpartisan, and doggedly persistent at eliminating government waste.

Operating Principles

We watchdog government spending because it should reflect national priorities.

We generate timely, accurate analysis with rigorous attention to detail.

We promote common sense solutions to complex policy problems.

We maintain strict independence and do not take funding from anyone with a financial interest in our work.

We are aggressively nonpartisan and not affiliated with any party.

We choose to work on relevant and engaging issues that connect with the public in order to educate them about how the government manages taxpayer dollars.

We work with Congress. TCS works extensively with elected officials from both political parties. TCS positions are cited during floor debates, and TCS testifies frequently before congressional committees. Our 501(c)(4) affiliate organization, TCS Action, works to change policy through lobbying and other activities.

We sound the alarm in the media. TCS staff have discussed government waste on numerous national television programs, including NBC’s Today Show and The CBS Evening News, as well as the ABC World News's “It's Your Money” and the NBC Nightly News’s “Fleecing of America” consumer news segments. TCS was the subject of a Bill Moyers Journal episode. TCS has also received coverage on Fox, Fox Business, CNN, CNBC, and MSNBC, as well local talk radio stations across the country. Our experts have been quoted thousands of times in major print media. For the past two years, we have been cited in 90 percent of the Top 100 newspapers in the United States.

We assist grassroots partners. TCS helps grassroots citizen groups fight boondoggles in their communities. We help them get media coverage and serve as their guide in the halls of power in Washington, D.C.

We engage the public. Through our research, website, and public outreach, we educate the public about government waste and provide opportunities for taxpayers to make their voices heard in Washington.